Thiruvananthapuram Oct 29 Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday announced a freeze on the PM SHRI in the state and the formation of a seven-member committee of state ministers, headed by Education Minister V. Sivankutty, to review the scheme.
"Until the committee’s report is received, implementation of the PM SHRI scheme will remain frozen,” the Chief Minister said after Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting, adding that the decision would be officially conveyed to the Centre.
Vijayan, however, side-stepped a volley of questions on his change of position, saying all should wait for the committee to come back with their review report.
The announcement comes as the rift within the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) over the contentious Central education scheme appears to have blown over, with the CPI-M giving way to the CPI’s firm stand and agreeing to a compromise formula.
After days of tension that threatened to split the ruling LDF, the state government announced the freeze and will soon send a formal letter to the Centre indicating this.
Earlier in the day, CPI General Secretary D. Raja, speaking in Delhi, said the PM-SHRI issue "has been sorted out for now".
“All four of our ministers will attend the Cabinet meeting. We are opposed to the National Education Policy (NEP), and that position remains unchanged. The government will inform the Centre accordingly,” he said.
The CPI-M’s rethink follows strong objections from its ally, the CPI, which had warned of political fallout if the government went ahead with the agreement.
The conciliatory move, senior ruling front leaders said, has averted a major coalition crisis and ensured the participation of all CPI ministers in Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting.
On the other hand, former BJP state President K. Surendran on Wednesday described the Kerala government’s decision to withdraw from the PM SHRI agreement as "suicidal" and against the interests of the state’s students.
He said Education Minister Sivankutty himself had admitted there were no flaws in the PM SHRI scheme.
"The state cannot simply walk away from the agreement. Nothing can be done unilaterally, and all clauses of the MoU will have to be honoured," Surendran said.
He added that Vijayan would not be able to withdraw from the pact merely to appease the CPI.
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He also accused the CPI of "arrogance that will harm the state", saying its obstinacy had pushed the LDF government into taking a decision detrimental to Kerala’s educational interests.
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